Post by Traditional Music Forum on Jun 28, 2021 14:34:11 GMT
A weekly two minute catch-up for members from the
TMF Director's desk
These are some of the things that have caught my attention this week.
A story that has been developing all week concerns the UK Government's Events Research Programme (a series of pilot full-capacity, no-distancing events) and its tardiness in releasing the findings. Some leaks had suggested that researchers had successfully identified that with certain safety measures in place events could go ahead without any increase in COVID risks.The delay in confirming this officially has led to festivals like Kendal Calling and others cancelling at the last minute. This lack of information, plus the Government's continuing refusal to provide insurance cover for festivals, and frustration at seeing thousands gather for sporting events, has resulted in the decision by Live, the UK live events body, to sue the Government in an attempt to get the results released.
Meanwhile, the venerable Newcastleton Traditional Music Festival, now in its 52nd year, is going online. Its famous competitions can now be entered by video, with a winners' concert being streamed on Facebook on Saturday 4 July. Details at the website, or from Secretary, Carole Brooks.
Monday this week saw a Zoom gathering of teaching and learning organisations from various parts of the country: Fèisean nan Gàidheal, SC&T, Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop, Blackford Fiddle Group, GFW, Fèis Phàslig, the National Piping Centre, SMG, Fun Fiddle, Hands Up for Trad Strathspey and Reel (plus Riddell Fiddles pitching in by email). It was a useful exchange of experience about the advantagees and disadvantages of online teaching with a sense of how things are going to develop in future.
Ironically, while we were all talking about making music, music was being made across the country, and indeed across the world, as Monday was also Make Music Day (Fête de la Musique). Hands Up for Trad staged a marathon four hour session featuring musicians from Scotland and other parts of Europe. You can dip into it here (running order here). I was particularly taken by the Belgian band Wör.
The Community Learning Exchange is a fantastic opportunity for community groups (e.g. festivals or community music groups) to learn about new ideas by visiting other groups and learning from their experience. As that gathering of teaching organisations demonstrated, learning from your peers can be powerful and the Learning Exchange offers an opportunity to do that. The exchange can be virtual or face to face, with preparation and development costs covered in the case of the former, and 100% of travel and subsistence costs covered in the latter case. The scheme is operated by the Scottish Community Alliance, of which TMF is a member via TRACS, and applications can be made through us. Drop me a line if you'd like to know more.
The Folk Film Gathering kicks off tonight with a programme of films available to view online for the next week. I'll be hosting a couple of conversations with musicians as part of the programme, starting tonight with Alasdair Roberts and Ye Vagabonds' Brían Mac Gloinn.
A new book by Caroline Macafee, 'Scots Folk Singers and Their Sources', (the sources being the Greig-Duncan Collection and the School of Scottish Studies Archive) looks interesting, although it'll be a call on the library rather than the bookshop as it's going out at academic prices.
This week's earworm is Jimmy Shand's 'Royal Scots Polka', a prime example of the famous Shand 'dunt'. Perfection.
Musician Seán Gray's blog on the TMF website is worth a read, about how his background in an Ayrshire mining village and his friendship with poet and former miner, Rab Wilson continues to inspire his music. You can watch Seán playing with our own Tina Rees (a new tune by Tina) here.
We were sorry to hear of the passing of Dave Black, a former member of the band Drinkers Drouth, who was also on the staff at Greentrax for a time. RIP.
All the best
DF
David Francis is Director of the Traditional Music Forum
TMF Director's desk
These are some of the things that have caught my attention this week.
A story that has been developing all week concerns the UK Government's Events Research Programme (a series of pilot full-capacity, no-distancing events) and its tardiness in releasing the findings. Some leaks had suggested that researchers had successfully identified that with certain safety measures in place events could go ahead without any increase in COVID risks.The delay in confirming this officially has led to festivals like Kendal Calling and others cancelling at the last minute. This lack of information, plus the Government's continuing refusal to provide insurance cover for festivals, and frustration at seeing thousands gather for sporting events, has resulted in the decision by Live, the UK live events body, to sue the Government in an attempt to get the results released.
Meanwhile, the venerable Newcastleton Traditional Music Festival, now in its 52nd year, is going online. Its famous competitions can now be entered by video, with a winners' concert being streamed on Facebook on Saturday 4 July. Details at the website, or from Secretary, Carole Brooks.
Monday this week saw a Zoom gathering of teaching and learning organisations from various parts of the country: Fèisean nan Gàidheal, SC&T, Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop, Blackford Fiddle Group, GFW, Fèis Phàslig, the National Piping Centre, SMG, Fun Fiddle, Hands Up for Trad Strathspey and Reel (plus Riddell Fiddles pitching in by email). It was a useful exchange of experience about the advantagees and disadvantages of online teaching with a sense of how things are going to develop in future.
Ironically, while we were all talking about making music, music was being made across the country, and indeed across the world, as Monday was also Make Music Day (Fête de la Musique). Hands Up for Trad staged a marathon four hour session featuring musicians from Scotland and other parts of Europe. You can dip into it here (running order here). I was particularly taken by the Belgian band Wör.
The Community Learning Exchange is a fantastic opportunity for community groups (e.g. festivals or community music groups) to learn about new ideas by visiting other groups and learning from their experience. As that gathering of teaching organisations demonstrated, learning from your peers can be powerful and the Learning Exchange offers an opportunity to do that. The exchange can be virtual or face to face, with preparation and development costs covered in the case of the former, and 100% of travel and subsistence costs covered in the latter case. The scheme is operated by the Scottish Community Alliance, of which TMF is a member via TRACS, and applications can be made through us. Drop me a line if you'd like to know more.
The Folk Film Gathering kicks off tonight with a programme of films available to view online for the next week. I'll be hosting a couple of conversations with musicians as part of the programme, starting tonight with Alasdair Roberts and Ye Vagabonds' Brían Mac Gloinn.
A new book by Caroline Macafee, 'Scots Folk Singers and Their Sources', (the sources being the Greig-Duncan Collection and the School of Scottish Studies Archive) looks interesting, although it'll be a call on the library rather than the bookshop as it's going out at academic prices.
This week's earworm is Jimmy Shand's 'Royal Scots Polka', a prime example of the famous Shand 'dunt'. Perfection.
Musician Seán Gray's blog on the TMF website is worth a read, about how his background in an Ayrshire mining village and his friendship with poet and former miner, Rab Wilson continues to inspire his music. You can watch Seán playing with our own Tina Rees (a new tune by Tina) here.
We were sorry to hear of the passing of Dave Black, a former member of the band Drinkers Drouth, who was also on the staff at Greentrax for a time. RIP.
All the best
DF
David Francis is Director of the Traditional Music Forum